All of New York’s battle flags are being damaged by the current method of display in the cases on the first floor of the Capitol

The flags are crowded into cases in an uncontrolled environment

Gravity is causing stresses on the rolled, vertical flags

The flags became soiled from a century of exposure to dirt in the Capitol and the surrounding urban environment

The flags, now wrapped in acid-free tissue for protection, were exposed to excessive amounts of light for over 100 years, which caused degradation of the fibers

Click on the images below to enlarge them

Two views of a crowded display case in the New State Capitol: 1997 on the left and 2000 on the right. During the fall of 2000, conservators wrapped the flags in acid-free tissue to protect them from light and dirt.

Cotton and wool flags (such as the 101st Signal Battalion‘s flag, left) are in better condition than silk flags (such as the 111th Regiment’s flag, right). Light damages silk at a much faster rate than cotton or wool. Silk fabric is finer and more susceptible to damage when used as a flag.